Ever since I can remember, I have always
wanted to write. I was writing music from the age of 8 and started reviewing
everything and anything I could wrap my ears around not long after. To be
honest, it was an addiction... it still is! When I write about music and listen
to music, I’m in my element. Nothing can beat it. I grew up around music; with
my grandad in a Celtic band and it didn’t take much for me to want to be as
involved in the industry as I possible could. I started writing for a record
label in 2003 - Rella music(formerly
Popstar Records) with Andrew McGuiness being a great mentor. 2009 was helping
with some shows on local radio station RTR FM and then moved on to freelancing
for local music magazines The Music, Drum Media and X-Press Mag. I started my
music business, Toward Music, in
2012 and whilst it’s still an on the side thing, I’m absolutely loving every
minute of it.

2.WERE YOU INTERESTED IN MUSIC AS A
KID? WHAT TYPES OF MUSIC?

Hell yeah…! It was the air I breathed, I needed it. I’ve
always had a pretty diverse music range, which I’m thankful for. Everyone
around me my age seemed to love the latest pop tune on the radio whereas I was
digging all the old school classics. I grew up to my grandad’s Celtic band that
I loved; I had an obsession with Aretha Franklin, Bob Marley and the Motown era
at a young age too. But on the other end of the spectrum, I absolutely love my
grunge and rock. Nirvana have always been a huge band for me and I’ve spent
most of my life wishing I was working in the music industry in the 70’s for
legendary bands like The Doors. There’s something about music in that 70’s era
that’s just irreplaceable… so honest and raw – and most of all they weren’t
afraid to just be true to themselves. That’s a pretty special thing in such a
judged society we live in.

3.WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME A MUSICIAN/WRITER?

I picked up guitar not long after I
started writing. Since then I got really into playing bass and used to spend
hours as a kid playing music, analysing reviews in music mags and pulling apart
lyrics and riffs to get lost in. Then I got pretty slack with playing
instruments and spent a few years singing with DJ’s and in the studio. Back in
the day, playing music was all I cared about. Today, I just want to write and
be involved in the music industry that way. I miss playing but there’s
something about reaching out through lyrics and reviewing that is just as
satisfying for me too. I really would like to get into playing more again
though.

4.WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR
JOB?

You meet interesting people and you are doing something that
you have to do. I say ‘have to’ because I wouldn’t be whom I am without the
opportunity to write and help emerging artists break into the scene. You have
to be passionate about something to be great at it; it’s what differentiates
something from good to great. I still have heaps to learn, but I love what I do
and every day is exciting. Exhausting, but exciting.

5.WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT
BEING A MUSICIAN?

Making a living out of it. Every musician
wants to be just that - a musician. We are all artists just trying to make a
living out of expressing who we are, it doesn’t help that it can be such a hard
industry to break into either.

6.DO YOU WORK FOR YOURSELF, OTHERS OR
BOTH?

Both. My day job I’m an online copywriter at White Chalk Road
writing content and articles for a whole range of different industries. At
night I’m a music journalist, manager and promoter with Toward Music. Somewhere
in between I sleep!

7.WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?

Staying true to what I love doing. When
I hear about people working in tedious jobs they don’t enjoy but are doing it
because it’s good money, it makes me appreciative that I am actually doing what
I’m passionate about – in my day job and my business. There’s nothing worse
than being in a job you hate. Sure you need a steady income but working to live
is a much better concept than living to work. It’s an achievement because
a lot of people struggle to find that happiness.

8.WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE
MOMENT?

Toward Music is a sponsor of The Newport
Record Club in Fremantle so I’ve been busy with that lately writing up promo
pieces for the gigs and bands and reviewing the shows. Next month I’ll be
chatting to Tommy lead guitarist of KISS and currently got a few exciting management
projects happening which is keeping me pretty occupied.

9.WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TYPE OF MUSIC?

That’s a tough one, how long do you
have!? I can’t have just one favourite, sometimes I am in the mood for grunge
and only grunge. Other times old school rock is my thing and then I’ll be
rockin’ out to Motown soul classics. I can appreciate and get into metal and I
love RnB and Jazz. Diverse is key, but there’s a lot of music I can’t stand
too…!

10.WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

Music, my sister and people I am close
to. People that can see the good in something even through the shit – I’m a big
believer that everyone and everything has potential; and when you can find it
and bring it out of something or someone, that’s pretty special.

11.DO YOU PLAY ANY
INSTRUMENTS?

Currently, no. I used to play guitar and
bass. I’d like to learn drum and sax one day.I love having the occasional jam at home when you’re just chilling and
get the guitars out and sing - makes me miss playing but as long as I am doing
something musically, I feel like I’m getting my fix.

Be humble. Arrogance is ugly and
it doesn't matter how good you are, you suck. Other than that, I'd just
encourage people to work hard and be themselves. You have to go through a lot
of shit to get to where you want and if you aren't prepared for that or won't
push yourself hard enough for your own dreams, then you can’t expect someone
else to get you there for you.

14.DO YOU HAVE A
PREFERRED SCHEDULE?

I don't know about preferred, I work
doing my day job, come home, work my night time job and try to have breaks,
sleep and a social life in between.

15.DO YOU HAVE A
FAVOURITE PLACE OR TIME TO WORK?

In terms of writing music, I love
writing at the beach or Kings Park. Used to do that a lot because you can just ‘be’
with a clear head. I write better that way.

16.WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST
JOY IN YOUR WORK?

Meeting people that inspire you to do
awesome things. Certain people can change your perspective for the better,
whether you're learning from them or being inspired by then – it’s great. Not
having to line in concert queues is pretty awesome, too!

17.WHAT’S THE GREATEST
COMPLIMENT YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?

That my writing style is so different to anything else. It
comes with advantages and disadvantages; I connect with music on such an
emotional level it can sometimes be hard for my writing to be structured to
certain ‘rules’. But in a lot of ways (so I’ve been told) it’s the reason why
people feel they can connect with my work on a different level regardless of
whether they’re into the music I’m reviewing or not, or a musician themselves.

18.WHAT WAS THE WORST
COMMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED?

Constructive criticism is good so
wouldn't say the worst - but when I first submitted work to a publication they
said my writing was too emotional to stick with their standards and ‘rules’.
They said I was good, but I "had to take a lot of the emotion out". I
took something from that and became more cautious when I wrote, but I didn't
change my writing style. I'm not a "technical" writer when it comes
to reviewing music – it’s the emotions that music creates for me and the
audience that allow me to really interact with a bands' work, so why would I want
to take that out?

19.WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES
INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU AS A CREATIVE
MUSICIAN AND WRITER?

Experiences. Good or bad -
they shape everything I write and play and there’s definitely childhood and
lifetime experiences that influence the songs I write and the way I connect to
music when reviewing.

If I am having a bad day I
play music that reflects that and it makes me feel better. When I’m having fun,
I play tunes I can rock out too, dance drink and create awesome memories too.
When I write music and lyrics, I write better when I’m down because it’s a kind
of therapy and turns how I’m feeling into something positive. When I write
articles and review, I need to be in a clear and happy headspace otherwise I am
useless!

20.HOW MANY SEPARATE
PIECES OF MUSIC HAVE YOU WRITTEN?

I've written over 100
songs – lyrically. The ones with actual music are only about 10. I have a bad
tendency of writing the lyrics and hearing the sound in my head, but I can't
always find the exact sound I want to play.

21.OTHER
THAN MUSIC AND WRITING, WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?

I have two pretty awesome
cats, but I don't want to sound like a crazy cat lady...! I love roller
coasters (such an adrenaline junkie!), the beach, thunderstorms, spontaneous
road trips and traveling.

22.DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT
DAY.

Any day is good if it
involves music, weed and great people. And maybe a few other things too. Oh and
live music. Live music rocks.

23.WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS
FOR THE FUTURE?

I'd love to write for
Rolling Stone mag one day. I'd also like to take my business overseas.

24.IF YOU CREATED MUSIC FOR
THE LEADERS OF THE WORLD, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?

Today, I interview another Australian author who writes picture books. A.S. Chung is a mother of a young toddler, blogger and recently added author of children’s picture books to her repertoire. A recent divorce inspired her to create PigeonholeBooks,
which is a gentle resource to deal with life’s challenges. It was a way
to communicate with her daughter and show her that life continues after
difficult times. She has a great desire to preach positive messages and
the importance of love and family to young children. Therefore, PigeonholeBooks is a project very close to her heart. Apart from the topic of divorce, PigeonholeBooks also deals with important subjects such as same-sex, blended and multiracial families.

Welcome, A. S. ...

1.TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT
YOURSELF AND YOUR WRITING JOURNEY.

I am a mother of a young toddler,
blogger and author of children’s picture books. A recent divorce inspired me to
create Pigeonhole Books, which is a gentle resource to deal with life’s
challenges. My first book, A Brand New
Day, was written as a way to communicate with her daughter and show her
that life continues after difficult times. A
Brand New Day recently won the 2015 National Indie Excellence® Awards.

I have a great desire to preach positive messages and the
importance of love and family to young children. Therefore, Pigeonhole Books is
a project very close to my heart. Apart from the topic of divorce, Pigeonhole
Books also deals with same-sex, blended and multiracial families. My second
book Wishful Wedding was recently
published in June 2015, which is my first LGBTQ children’s literature dealing
with marriage equality and same gender marriage.

2.WHAT TYPE OF
PREPARATION DO YOU DO FOR A MANUSCRIPT? DO YOU PLAN EVERYTHING FIRST OR JUST
SHOOT FROM THE HIP?

As I am a picture book writer, I just go
for it! My books are generally less than 300 words so I just start writing and
then worry about the structure and formatting later. So far it seems to have
worked well for me as it all fits on one A4 piece of paper!

3.WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST
ABOUT BEING A WRITER?

I love being able to put on paper, what I have in my head.
I am always astonished with the finished product, “I wrote that??”

4.DO YOU HAVE A
PREFERRED WRITING SCHEDULE?

No I don’t. I write when I’m in the mood as I find I am
most productive then. Whenever I have planned some time aside to do some
writing, I have hardly ever produced anything worth even editing!

5.WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE
AUTHOR AND WHY?

The great man himself, Paulo Coelho.
When I got a divorce, I turned to Paulo Coelho’s spiritual words to get through
that difficult phase in my life and in many ways allowed the slow minutes
become beautiful days. This turning of events and the realisation how books can
be so powerful, ignited my need to write and hence the commencement of a very
new chapter in my life.

6.WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES
INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?

Absolutely and that is exactly how I
came to start writing children’s picture books. As mentioned above, I went
through a divorce and it became a very tumultuous time. I was most concerned
about my daughter and wanted to shelter her from the unavoidable difficulties.
At the time, she was too young to really understand the ramifications of
divorce but old enough to know something was amiss. I was then inspired to
create Pigeonhole Books, which is a
gentle resource to deal with life’s challenges. These picture books are
designed for young children who come from divorce, same-sex, blended and
multicultural families.

7.OTHER THAN WRITING,
WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?

I love organising social occasions and have done many over
my lifetime, purely with the knowledge that I was making a friend happy during
their milestone celebrations. I love entertaining my friends, as we sit around
a table and converse all day. Travel is definitely on the top of my list and
with a young child in tow now, she has opened up the world in a very different
way.

8.WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS
FOR THE FUTURE?

Continue to write as long as I have the passion, energy and
imagination. Well, finances too but let’s not damper the mood!

9.DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN
ANY OF YOUR CHARACTERS?

In all of my divorce series of picture books, I am the
separated parent, trying very hard to keep it together and provide my child
with a loving and safe environment to grow up in. Hoping that the divorce
doesn’t affect her traumatically and that she understands whilst we are a separated
family, she is very much loved and a number one priority in our lives.

HOW
WOULD YOU DEFINE ‘SUCCESS’ AS A WRITER.

When readers tell me what a difference the book has made to
their lives and that they believe it will help others.

10.HOW MUCH THOUGHT GOES INTO DESIGNING A BOOK COVER?

The natural answer for a picture book would be “a lot!”.
However, I work with an amazing illustrator who has the ability to translate
the vision and objective of the book into beautiful art. Her first drafts were
amazing enough so I just said “yes!”.

11.WRITING IS ONE
THING. WHAT ABOUT MARKETING YOU, YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR BRAND? ANY THOUGHTS?

That is a big question. Book marketing is not for the faint
hearted and is relentless. You have to be a player and a constant one at that.
I have currently committed myself to blogging 100 marketing tips on my blog,
Pigeonhole Books over the next year both as a learning curve as well as helping
other indie authors out there. http://pigeonholebooks.com/category/100-online-book-marketing-tips/

12.ARE YOUR BOOKS
SELF-PUBLISHED?

Yes they are! I didn’t explore traditional publishing as I
wanted full control of the story as well as the accompanying illustrations.
Self-publishing has never been easier but of course it comes with hard work. I
am however, loving the journey thus far.

13.WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? GOOD ONE?

I am in the midst of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mocking Bird.
Reading it again, for inspiration and beautiful writing.

A Brand New Day: A
Banana Split Story is a children's picture book about divorce. It tells the story of a
little girl who has to split her time between two homes so that she can spend
time with her mother and father throughout the week. The book is written in
gentle rhyme accompanied by beautiful artwork with a muted colour palette.

The story also
introduced the concept of a blended family as the little girl inherits a step
brother. The story never once mentions the word "divorce" and
presents this life challenge in a positive light. The book was written to
demonstrate that despite being in divorce family, the child can still create
special moments with each parent and still be very loved.

“Mondays and Tuesdays are fun,
going on cooking adventures with Dad. We look forward to Wednesdays and
Thursday too when we get to be a green thumb with Mum. Don’t forget the
holidays! Spring breaks with Mum and hot summers camping with Dad. Each day is
a truly special day!”

Clancy's comment: Thank you, A. S. Mm ... You sound as passionate as me in what you write for kids. Good for you, and well done on winning an award for A Brand New Day. You must be doing something right - write!